VCE-VM

The Pillars of Applied Learning 

The VCE Vocational Major (VM) is a vocational and applied learning program within the VCE designed to be completed over a minimum of two years. The VCE - VM will give students greater choice and flexibility to pursue their strengths and interests and develop the skills and capabilities needed to succeed in further education, work and life. Curriculum is designed and delivered in accordance with the five Pillars of Learning - seen in the above graphic. 

It prepares students to move into apprenticeships, traineeships, further education and training, university (via non-ATAR pathways) or directly into the workforce.

The purpose of the VCE VM is to provide students with the best opportunity to achieve their personal goals and aspirations in a rapidly changing world by:

• equipping them with the skills, knowledge, values and capabilities to be active and informed citizens, lifelong learners and confident and creative individuals 

• empowering them to make informed decisions about the next stages of their lives through real life workplace experiences

Student learning 

For more information about the Victorian Certificate of Education - Vocational Major, watch the clip below.

VCE-VM Requirements 

Students must complete a minimum of 16 units, these MUST include:

• 3 VCE-VM Literacy or VCE English units (including a Unit 3-4 sequence)

• 2 VCE-VM Numeracy or VCE Mathematics units

• 2 VCE-VM Work Related Skills units

• 2 VCE-VM Personal Development Skills units

• 2 VET credits at Certificate II level or above (180 nominal hours) 

Students must complete a minimum of three other Unit 3-4 sequences as a part of their program .

At Altona College, students that commence the VCE-VM attend school on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. On either Wednesday or Thursday the students attend their vocational certificate or complete Structured Workplace Learning (SWL). 

Below is an example of a weekly VCE-VM student timetable.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Altona College Altona College        SWL VET Altona College

For further understanding of the specialised VCE-VM subjects, select the 'buttons' that the bottom of this page : 

Pathway planning and the VCE-VM 

Students who plan to enrol in the VCE-VM should note the following important points:  The VCE-VM does not provide students with an ATAR score. Students completing the VCEVM can only apply for university courses where an ATAR is not required, providing they have met all other perquisites.  The VCE-VM best suits students whose career path after school includes entry to TAFE, Apprenticeships, Traineeships or Employment.   VCE-VM tasks are recorded as S or N when students meet each Unit’s outcomes. Students that are interested in the VCE-VM have the opportunity to enrol in the year 10 VCE-VM preparation course. This is a year-long course designed to provide an understanding of VCE-VM Work Related Skills and VCE-VM Personal Development. 

The VCE-VM  Units

VCE-VM students enrol through the VCAA in four compulsory ‘strands’ (units), which are: 

• VCE-VM Literacy: VCE Vocational Major Literacy focuses on the development of the knowledge and skills required to be literate in Australia today. The key knowledge and key skills encompass a student’s ability to interpret and create texts that have purpose, and are accurate and effective, with confidence and fluency.

Texts should be drawn from a wide range of contexts and be focused on participating in the workplace and community. Further to this, texts should be drawn from a range of sources including media texts, multimodal texts, texts used in daily interactions, and workplace texts from increasingly complex and unfamiliar settings.

As students develop these skills, they engage with texts that encompass the everyday language of personal experience to the more abstract, specialised and technical language of different workplaces, including the language of further study.

The applied learning approach of this study is intended to meet the needs of students with a wide range of abilities and aspirations.

• VCE-VM Numeracy: VCE Vocational Major Numeracy focuses on enabling students to develop and enhance their numeracy skills to make sense of their personal, public and vocational lives. Students develop mathematical skills with consideration of their local, national and global environments and contexts, and an awareness and use of appropriate technologies.

This study allows students to explore the underpinning mathematical knowledge of number and quantity, measurement, shape, dimensions and directions, data and chance, the understanding and use of systems and processes, and mathematical relationships and thinking. This mathematical knowledge is then applied to tasks which are part of the students’ daily routines and practices, but also extends to applications outside the immediate personal environment, such as the workplace and community.

The contexts are the starting point and the focus, and are framed in terms of personal, financial, civic, health, recreational and vocational classifications. These numeracies are developed using a problem-solving cycle with four components: formulating; acting on and using mathematics; evaluating and reflecting; and communicating and reporting.

• Industry Specific Skills (VET Program): The Industry Specific Skills strand is completed through the study of a VET program. Students choose an industry area of interest as the focus of their studies, e.g. Hospitality, Building & Construction, Community Services, VET IT etc. Prospective VCE-VM students should research their VET options and seek advice from their VET Co-ordinator about the most appropriate VET program for their needs. Students are encouraged to explore the WynBay LLEN Handbook to explore available VET options.

•  VCE-VM Work Related Skills: VCE Vocational Major Work Related Skills (WRS) examines a range of skills, knowledge and capabilities relevant to achieving individual career and educational goals. Students will develop a broad understanding of workplace environments and the future of work and education, in order to engage in theoretical and practical planning and decision-making for a successful transition to their desired pathway.

The study considers four key areas: the future of work; workplace skills and capabilities; industrial relations and the workplace environment and practice; and the development of a personal portfolio.

Students will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills gained from this study in the classroom environment and through Structured Workplace Learning (SWL). 

• VCE-VM Personal Development Skills: VCE Vocational Major Personal Development Skills (PDS) takes an active approach to personal development, self-realisation and citizenship by exploring interrelationships between individuals and communities. PDS focuses on health, wellbeing, community engagement and social sciences, and provides a framework through which students seek to understand and optimise their potential as individuals and as members of their community.

This study provides opportunities for students to explore influences on identity, set and achieve personal goals, interact positively with diverse communities, and identify and respond to challenges. Students will develop skills in self-knowledge and care, accessing reliable information, teamwork, and identifying their goals and future pathways.

PDS explores concepts of effective leadership, self-management, project planning and teamwork to support students to engage in their work, community and personal environments.

Through self-reflection, independent research, critical and creative thinking and collaborative action, students will extend their capacity to understand and connect with the world they live in, and build their potential to be resilient, capable citizens. 

Structured Workplace Learning (SWL)

VCAL students are required to organise and participate in a structured workplace learning placement. Students complete one day a week in the workplace for the duration of the school year. Wherever possible, the SWL placement should relate to the industry area being studied. Prospective VCAL students are responsible for finding an employer to provide them with a Structured Workplace Learning placement. 

VCE-VM Assessment and Reporting 

All VCE-VM unit learning outcomes are assessed. Students must satisfactorily demonstrate that their knowledge and skills meet the outcome standards. Evidence of student achievement may include portfolios of evidence, class work, group participation, assignments and projects. Students who successfully complete the VCE-VM will receive a certificate and statement of results that detail the areas of study that they have completed.

School Based Apprenticeships

It is possible for VCE-VM students to start an Australian School Based Apprenticeship. Australian School Based Apprenticeships enable students to gain a vocational and technical qualification while completing school studies. They are a great career option for students in Year 10, 11 and Year 12 who have made the decision to pursue a career within a specific industry. The features of a School Based Apprenticeship include:  

1. Students can finish Years 11 and 12 while beginning an apprenticeship.  

2. Students are paid a training wage or apprentice wage for the time spent 'on-the-job' with an employer.  

3. Students can gain nationally accredited qualifications in an industry.  

4. Students are covered by a training contract, which links to an industrial award or agreement.  

5. Students wishing to apply for this program must undertake to independently make contact with an employer. Altona College does not make any commitment to seek school based apprenticeship opportunities for students.

VCE-VM Checklist 

Students who think that VCAL is the most appropriate course for their future pathway should address the following checklist. If their answer to all of these questions is ‘yes’, they should discuss the VCAL in more detail with their parents, the college Careers Co-ordinator and the VCAL Co-ordinator.

Checklist questions: 

1. Do I work better when I am involved in practical tasks rather than academic work? 

2. Does my career path involve TAFE, an apprenticeship or employment, but not University?  

3. Am I prepared to travel to TAFE to study the VET course that meets my needs?  

4. Do I understand that it is my responsibility to find a SWL placement? 

5.  Am I prepared to travel outside of the Altona area to attend my SWL placement? 

Resources

Where to now - : A useful resource published by VCAA to answer most common questions (please note, some variations may apply based on school rules and timetable constraints).

VCAA Administrative Handbook - A technical resource containing  key information about the delivery of VCE & VCAL in schools.